Guest guest Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Hi! Welcome to our group! Are you seeing Dr. Doyle in Birmingham, AL? He's not on Dr. P's qualified physician's list, but I have seen him publish a medical paper on his good results using the method, so I'm encouraged that he's doing it right. There are quite a few families here dealing with various forms of " a-typical " clubfoot, so I hope they'll chime in for you. Sometimes the " a-typical " condition isn't revealed until after the tenotomy, such as with Angel's son Kai's foot- see her website about plantaris at http://adifferentfoot.freeservers.com/ . Usually the difficult part with the a-typical feet is getting the bracing to work post-correction. Most kids are using the shoes on their FAB which are custom molded sandals (made by in Iowa) versus the standard Markell Tarso straight last shoes. If you go to this site: http://pages.ivillage.com/ponseti_links there is information and links about bracing. Is your doctor willing to consult with Dr. Ponseti directly about your son's feet? Dr. Dobbs at the Shriners in St. Louis, or the docs in Iowa City are your closest *experienced* doctors in treating a- typical clubfoot. However, if you can get your doctor to send pictures and consult with one of the docs in Iowa- then you might have more peace of mind that the foot is ready for the tenotomy. If your son's feet *are* difficult, I would recommend talking to your doctor now about getting the sandals so that you have enough time to get them prior to the tenotomy cast coming off. You may have to do some figuring about how to get them as they're not really covered by insurance usually and they're pricey. How old is your son now? I'm glad you're here- I hope we can help ease your worries! Regards, & (3-16-00) left clubfoot,switched to Ponseti method at 4 mo. old http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/ > > > hi, I am fairly new to hearing of this method. We didn't find out > about my son's club foot until birth. We did some research via the > web to find out what in fact it was. He got his first cast on the day > after birth. But the doctor did not use the Ponsetti method. After 6 > months, we were referred to a children's hospital in Birmingham for > surgery. The doctor there told me about the Ponsetti method. The > doctor has only been treating club feet for a year and a half. My > son's case, I am told, is particularly difficult. He has an atypical > club foot. Which is almost as general a term as a " typical " club > foot. There are different degrees of severity. We are currently on > cast number 4 using Dr.Ponsetti's method. I am concerned about having > the tenotomy done too early. How do I know that his foot is as good > as it can get? I just wanted to know if anyone has a similar case > that can advise me (us)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Hi! Welcome to our group! Are you seeing Dr. Doyle in Birmingham, AL? He's not on Dr. P's qualified physician's list, but I have seen him publish a medical paper on his good results using the method, so I'm encouraged that he's doing it right. There are quite a few families here dealing with various forms of " a-typical " clubfoot, so I hope they'll chime in for you. Sometimes the " a-typical " condition isn't revealed until after the tenotomy, such as with Angel's son Kai's foot- see her website about plantaris at http://adifferentfoot.freeservers.com/ . Usually the difficult part with the a-typical feet is getting the bracing to work post-correction. Most kids are using the shoes on their FAB which are custom molded sandals (made by in Iowa) versus the standard Markell Tarso straight last shoes. If you go to this site: http://pages.ivillage.com/ponseti_links there is information and links about bracing. Is your doctor willing to consult with Dr. Ponseti directly about your son's feet? Dr. Dobbs at the Shriners in St. Louis, or the docs in Iowa City are your closest *experienced* doctors in treating a- typical clubfoot. However, if you can get your doctor to send pictures and consult with one of the docs in Iowa- then you might have more peace of mind that the foot is ready for the tenotomy. If your son's feet *are* difficult, I would recommend talking to your doctor now about getting the sandals so that you have enough time to get them prior to the tenotomy cast coming off. You may have to do some figuring about how to get them as they're not really covered by insurance usually and they're pricey. How old is your son now? I'm glad you're here- I hope we can help ease your worries! Regards, & (3-16-00) left clubfoot,switched to Ponseti method at 4 mo. old http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/ > > > hi, I am fairly new to hearing of this method. We didn't find out > about my son's club foot until birth. We did some research via the > web to find out what in fact it was. He got his first cast on the day > after birth. But the doctor did not use the Ponsetti method. After 6 > months, we were referred to a children's hospital in Birmingham for > surgery. The doctor there told me about the Ponsetti method. The > doctor has only been treating club feet for a year and a half. My > son's case, I am told, is particularly difficult. He has an atypical > club foot. Which is almost as general a term as a " typical " club > foot. There are different degrees of severity. We are currently on > cast number 4 using Dr.Ponsetti's method. I am concerned about having > the tenotomy done too early. How do I know that his foot is as good > as it can get? I just wanted to know if anyone has a similar case > that can advise me (us)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Hi, My daughter is now 3 3/4 years old and had a mild right clubfoot. You can read about our story at www.geocities.com/joannewalton2003/clubfootstory.html I mostly read the posts and don't respond much anymore... However, I attended Dr. Herzenberg's symposium in Sept. and videotaped it. I was watching it again last night trying to get it onto VCR tapes for him by our next appointment next Fri... He spoke extensively about the atypical clubfoot. He said that he went to see Dr. Ponseti about a very difficult case where the parents wouldn't let him give up although he wanted to do surgery and Dr. Ponseti showed him what to do.This is a fairly new development. Dr. Ponseti said he does an early tenotomy and then a second tenotomy at the time the first one usually occurs... My best advice would be to go to a doctor who has a lot of experience doing the Ponseti method, especially the atypical kind. It is very difficult to correct properly, but can be done in competent hands. Your best bet is to go to Dr. POnseti himself. We were very fortunate that Dr. herzenberg was so close when we became unsure of our second doctor's competence with the Ponseti method. I would not have hesitated to go to Iowa to have peace of mind if need be. I would ask your doctor if he has trained with Dr. Ponseti specifically on treating atypical feet or how he has learned to treat them. Many people have traveled to Dr. P. I'm sure you will receive lots of support if you decide to go. Best, Joanne W. mom to Zoe, 3-25-01, right clubfoot Message: 10 Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2005 21:24:59 -0000 Subject: new to Ponsetti hi, I am fairly new to hearing of this method. We didn't find out about my son's club foot until birth. We did some research via the web to find out what in fact it was. He got his first cast on the day after birth. But the doctor did not use the Ponsetti method. After 6 months, we were referred to a children's hospital in Birmingham for surgery. The doctor there told me about the Ponsetti method. The doctor has only been treating club feet for a year and a half. My son's case, I am told, is particularly difficult. He has an atypical club foot. Which is almost as general a term as a " typical " club foot. There are different degrees of severity. We are currently on cast number 4 using Dr.Ponsetti's method. I am concerned about having the tenotomy done too early. How do I know that his foot is as good as it can get? I just wanted to know if anyone has a similar case that can advise me (us)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Hi there, Welcome to the group! I am glad you found out about the Ponseti Method before going down the surgery route. Can't help much with the atypical foot, but if you are in Birminghma, Alabama and ever need a second opinion, etc. we are in Atlanta and our dr. also practices Ponseti. Good luck, Louisa 6-27-99 Zoe 2-22-04 RCF FAB 16/7 > > > hi, I am fairly new to hearing of this method. We didn't find out > about my son's club foot until birth. We did some research via the > web to find out what in fact it was. He got his first cast on the day > after birth. But the doctor did not use the Ponsetti method. After 6 > months, we were referred to a children's hospital in Birmingham for > surgery. The doctor there told me about the Ponsetti method. The > doctor has only been treating club feet for a year and a half. My > son's case, I am told, is particularly difficult. He has an atypical > club foot. Which is almost as general a term as a " typical " club > foot. There are different degrees of severity. We are currently on > cast number 4 using Dr.Ponsetti's method. I am concerned about having > the tenotomy done too early. How do I know that his foot is as good > as it can get? I just wanted to know if anyone has a similar case > that can advise me (us)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 We are actually seeing Dr. Gilbert, but he is going to be out of town and we will be seeing Dr. Doyle in his place. This will be the last cast before the tenotomy, so he can give a second opinion. I think this group is going to help alot.Thank you for the wealth of info. April and Clint- 7mo/old (R club foot switched to Ponsetti at 6 mo) > > > > > > hi, I am fairly new to hearing of this method. We didn't find out > > about my son's club foot until birth. We did some research via the > > web to find out what in fact it was. He got his first cast on the > day > > after birth. But the doctor did not use the Ponsetti method. After > 6 > > months, we were referred to a children's hospital in Birmingham for > > surgery. The doctor there told me about the Ponsetti method. The > > doctor has only been treating club feet for a year and a half. My > > son's case, I am told, is particularly difficult. He has an > atypical > > club foot. Which is almost as general a term as a " typical " club > > foot. There are different degrees of severity. We are currently on > > cast number 4 using Dr.Ponsetti's method. I am concerned about > having > > the tenotomy done too early. How do I know that his foot is as good > > as it can get? I just wanted to know if anyone has a similar case > > that can advise me (us)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 We're glad you're here! Keep us posted and ask any questions! & (3-16-00), left clubfoot > > We are actually seeing Dr. Gilbert, but he is going to be out of town > and we will be seeing Dr. Doyle in his place. This will be the last > cast before the tenotomy, so he can give a second opinion. I think > this group is going to help alot.Thank you for the wealth of info. > April and Clint- 7mo/old (R club foot switched to Ponsetti at 6 > mo) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Hey.. This was us!! next appointment next Fri... He spoke extensively about the atypical clubfoot. He said that he went to see Dr. Ponseti about a very difficult case where the parents wouldn't let him give up although he wanted to do surgery and Dr. Ponseti showed him what to do.This is a fairly new development. Dr. Ponseti said he does an early tenotomy and then a second tenotomy at the time the first one usually occurs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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